In early January, Marshal Yanda was left devastated when the Baltimore Ravens lost to the Tennessee Titans. To make matters worse, Yanda was going through one of his most successful seasons in his 13-year NFL career. Although most of his teammates brushed it off as just a minor bad day in the office, Yanda viewed it differently.
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So, instead of wallowing in sorrow, Yanda trained harder than ever to get back into shape. The 35-year old conjured up a revamped exercise routine, a new diet and a fierce willpower. The end result was Marshal Yanda losing more than 60 pounds in his first three months of retirement.
Speaking about his physical transformation, Yanda said, “There are two words: It’s the ‘want to. If you want to do it, you’ll do it. It’s how bad you want to. People want to talk about it, but at the end of the day, do you really want to? That’s important.”
Admittedly, he was not the most athletic or physically imposing blocker, but he was the grittiest. In his heyday, many defenders were wary of him during running plays. He left the game as one of three guards in NFL history to earn eight Pro Bowl selections and win a Super Bowl. In doing so, he joined the likes of Larry Allen and Alan Faneca.
The Marshal Yanda new diet
Breakfast
Two eggs.
Midmorning snack
Half a cup of fat-free Greek yogurt with a quarter cup of blueberries.
Lunch
3 to 4 ounces of chicken breast, turkey or tuna.
Midafternoon snack
A quarter cup of mixed nuts pre-measured in sandwich bags.
Dinner
3 to 4 ounces of lean protein along with cabbage, asparagus, tomatoes and peppers.
Post-dinner snack
Nuts, baby carrots or cheese stick but nothing after 7 p.m.
Fortunately, Yanda doesn’t plan to lose any more weight. He has settled in at 245 pounds for the past two to three weeks, and he doesn’t foresee himself dipping below that.
